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As recreational marijuana use becomes legal, Washington state residents are now trying creative new excuses as to why they should not be charged with a marijuana DUI. In Spokane County, a teen driver tried to get out of an impaired driving arrest by arguing that he didn't smoke pot himself, but i...

Any bad news for the San Francisco 49ers is good news for the Seattle Seahawks. Last week, 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith was sentenced to three years probation and 11 days community service following a no contest plea to a drunk driving and weapons charge, reports NESN.
Smith had faced three felo...

An ingenuous idea to come out of Texas. The City of Austin came up with a "Drive Alive Austin" campaign that features a waiver of a parking ticket if you make the right decision to leave your car behind and not drive home drunk, reports KVUE.
Too often, individuals will make the fatal mistake of...

There is a major piece of federal legislation affecting DUIs that will be proposed by New York Representative Nita Lowey, reports Forbes. The legislation is being hailed as a deterrent to drunk driving as it will require that individuals convicted of a DUI to install an ignition interlock device ...

If you're into the modernist cuisine scene in Seattle, you may have heard of chef Maxime Bilet. However, the modernist chef recently made the news for all the wrong reasons. Instead of his food making the headlines, the author and chef is being accused of drunk driving and a hit-and-run following...

Not many people would mistake Martin Luther King Jr. Way in south Seattle for the Autobahn in Germany. With a city speed limit of 30 mph and urban traffic, most drivers maintain or drive well below the posted speed limit. However, on June 28, an unidentified 26-year-old man was caught driving 80 ...

Right now it can take a law enforcement officer up to four hours to receive a warrant to conduct a blood draw on a suspected drunk or drugged driver. In many cases, the suspect would have sobered up enough by the time of the blood draw making the results of the draw meaningless to support a DUI c...

The Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) officially began their "Drive high, or get a DUI" campaign, reports KXLY.com. The WTSC is beginning its campaign by airing three different television ads that use humor in depicting the dangers of driving under the influence of marijuana.
The gist ...

It seems like these stories only happen in Florida. Lawyers and court employees reportedly gawked from a courthouse as a well known Broward County judge slammed her BMW SUV into a parked police vehicle and then repeatedly slammed her vehicle into a gate at the court parking lot, reports The New Y...

A Washington man was charged with suspected driving under the influence and child endangerment following a car accident. Police say that the unidentified Federal Way man lost control of his car and flipped over off the street. The man had his three young children in the car at the time, reports K...

The Washington State Patrol announced that they are stepping up drunk driving patrols starting in the beginning of July. The summertime months are notorious for drunk driving and July 4th is a holiday season that typically involves alcohol consumption. As a result, the WSP will be out in force du...

In early July, specialty retail stores across Washington State will begin selling marijuana for recreational use. In preparation for the event, the Washington Traffic Safety Commission (WTSC) is launching a campaign to remind drivers that while recreational marijuana use may be legal, driving und...

Earlier this year, Justin Bieber was arrested for driving under the influence after being caught in an alleged drag race in Miami Beach. At the time of arrest, Bieber tested positive for marijuana, reports TMZ.
It was no secret that Bieber's attorneys were looking to reach a plea deal with Miami...

A Tacoma man allegedly rear-ended another driver, proceeded to yell at the other driver, before driving to a nearby gas station to steal money and doughnuts, reports the United Press International. If these sound like the acts of a man whose drunk or high, the Tacoma police reportedly thought the...

There is something to be said about twin siblings. They can usually finish each other's sentences, read each other's emotions, and apparently get arrested for drunk driving within hours of each other.
Early Saturday morning, Connecticut police arrested twin sister Kathleen Murphy for drunk drivi...

A Minnesota woman was arrested for a DUI and Jell-O may play a key role in the prosecutor's case, reports Complex.com. After police spotted Cathy Sanchez erratically driving, they pulled her over and observed the woman's slurred words and strong stench of alcohol. However, the most pointed piece ...

A Seattle firefighter was arrested for drunk driving in late March and is now in the news again after it was discovered that the firefighter is still on the streets driving a firetruck, reports KIRO TV.
Joseph Dempsey is a 17-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department. He was arrested on March ...

A Michigan politician was arrested for drunk driving last week. Following a failed Breathalyzer test, the politician says that the failed breath test wasn't due to anything that he drank, instead he blamed the dentures in his mouth, reports WILX 10.
Flint city councilman Eric Mays was pulled ove...

If you are stopped for a suspected DUI, the chances are that an officer will ask you to submit to a Breathalyzer test. Unlike a blood test, a Breathalyzer test allows the officer to get an immediate determination of your blood alcohol level. However, unlike a blood test, Breathalyzer tests are mo...

Ferrari-driver Shaun Goodman was arrested for a DUI earlier this year that involved him trying to outrun the cops, a passenger jumping out of the moving sports car, and Goodman eventually crashing into a house. This week, a Thurston County court sentenced Goodman to work release and protestors ar...

There will be extra law enforcement patrols out in the Seattle streets looking for distracted drivers between May 19 and June 1 as part of the popular “Click it or Ticket” campaign, reports the Ballard News Tribune.
While the name of the campaign may sound as if authorities will only be on the l...

You probably already know that you face serious criminal penalties if you are convicted of drunk driving in Washington. However, you may not know that you face non-criminal penalties as well such as a driver's license suspension.
There are generally two separate license suspensions related to a ...

In a bizarre drunk driving incident in Lakewood, a drunk driver allegedly purposefully rammed a Washington State Patrol vehicle twice on the highway before being stopped and arrested for drunk driving and vehicular assault, reports KIRO TV.
The state patrol officer was traveling northbound on In...

Cinco de Mayo is a holiday to celebrate Mexican heritage and pride. However, the holiday is now widely celebrated in America as a time to drink and hang out with friends. As we celebrate Cinco de Mayo, here are five important facts you should know about drunk driving:
You don't need a 0.08 blo...

Mountlake Terrace police commander Don Duncan has been fired after he was arrested for a DUI this January, reports the Herald Net. The 50-year-old Duncan was an 18-year veteran of the police force and had reportedly tried to talk his way out of the DUI with the Washington State Patrol. He even ac...

Cowan Kirk Kattenhorn

Cowan Kirk Kattenhorn is known throughout Washington and the nation for representing all of its clients with commitment, creativity and compassion. We recognize how devastating a DUI charge can be, particularly when our clients learn how incredibly tough Washington's DUI laws have become, even for a first-time offender.

If you need a DUI defense attorney in Seattle, Bellevue, or King County, contact us today to find out why respect for our clients, a passion for justice, and our commitment to winning have earned each of us the highest honor a member of the bar can receive from our colleagues – their referrals.